


townie | ymir x reader

by anajoyy



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan, 進撃の巨人 | Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - College/University, College Student Eren Yeager, Enemies to Friends, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Female Reader, Fluff, Lesbian Character, Partying, Playing Hard to Get, Recreational Drug Use, Romance, Slow Burn, Smut, Softball
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-03
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-15 17:21:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29811819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anajoyy/pseuds/anajoyy
Summary: it's your second semester at Paradis University, and you're excited to keep making memories. the most exciting part? softball season. all of your best friends--Sasha, Annie, and Mikasa--are on the team, and you're excited to watch their games and go to the crazy afterparties.but when a chance encounter leaves a bad taste in your mouth about an enigmatic softball player, ymir, you find that you just can't escape her.
Relationships: Armin Arlert/Annie Leonhart, Mikasa Ackerman/Jean Kirstein, Sasha Blouse/Connie Springer, Ymir (Shingeki no Kyojin)/Reader
Comments: 12
Kudos: 50





	1. there's a party

**Author's Note:**

> content warning in this chapter for: alcohol use... that's about it.
> 
> idk lmk if u guys like that bc im invested in this story lol.

“YES! GO GET THEM, SASHA!” 

You barely had enough time to cover your ears as your best friend, Hitch, stood up from her spot on the bleachers, waving her hands around rapidly as she jumped up and down. You smiled sheepishly, joining in on the chant with a scream of your own--though it didn’t match Hitch’s in pitch or volume (and especially not enthusiasm).

You felt her hand on your shoulder, yanking you upwards as she continued jumping, watching as the player on the softball field made it just in time for a home run, sliding down to her knees as soon as her feet brushed the base. 

“YEAHHHHH!” yelled Hitch yet again, and you couldn’t help but clap along with the rest of the people in the stands, who had continued their cheer upon the home team of your university scoring the game-changing point. 

Although you didn’t scream out her name in congratulations, you did continue to clap and cheer as Sasha, the superstar behind such a maneuver, who so happened to be your roommate, ran to one of her teammates, engulfing her in a hug that you knew suffocated both girls. 

As the game wrapped up, you grabbed your bag from its place on the bleachers, checking your phone and seeing a barrage of new texts from your friend group. 

_Eren: did you see that? You’re amazing, sasha!_

_Connie: what he said ^^_

_Hitch: congratulations!! You looked so majestic from the stands :)_

You chuckled as you skimmed the rest of the messages, following closely behind Hitch as the two of you exited the field, standing on the edge of one of the exterior walls as you waited on an Uber to pick you up.

From the rest of what you had ascertained, the party would be continued at Eren, Jean, and Connie’s frat house, where the softball girls would get star treatment. That is, if you call getting first dibs at the rancid “jungle juice” and free party favors from rando’s “star treatment”.

You shivered a bit in place, rubbing your arms with your hands for some extra warmth. It was an unusually cold day for Spring, and you were definitely not dressed for the occasion. Your simple denim shorts and college shirt was not enough to protect against the chilly bite that the air held, which progressively worsened as the sun began to recede behind the horizon.

Hitch, however, did not seem to mind the bite of the cold, as she stuck her pointed nose up at the wind, its tip red from the chill. She smiled as she eyed you sideways.  
“Excited?” she inquired, revealing her teeth in her smile as she placed her hands in her light jacket. You nodded your head yes, though you didn’t really have to--she already knew the answer.

“You know me…” you laughed, causing the both of you to erupt into a fit of giggles, likely partially due to the beer you both had chugged upon the start of the game. Hitch knew that you never would limit yourself in terms of fun, and whenever you went to parties, you were determined to have the time of your life.

As the conversation continued, the Uber driver pulled up, and the both of you piled into the back of the man’s old sedan before saying a curt, polite greeting. Within a matter of moments, you had arrived at the fraternity house, and Jean and Connie were somehow _already_ waiting outside, a beer in each of their hands. 

“We thought you’d never get here!” shouted Jean, walking towards you before giving you a one-sided hug. He leaned his weight into yours, his balance clearly impaired. You laughed, placing a hand on his chest to push him off of you playfully.

“Yeah, well, we’re here now. Someone get me a drink!” You walked through the large double doors of the house to see a mass of bodies packed against one another like sardines, dancing madly to the music. A few stragglers lingered towards the outer edges of the walls, either talking to friends as they sipped from plastic cups, or shoving their tongues down each other’s throats.

You didn’t question as a plastic cup was placed into your hands by Hitch, who had already scurried into the kitchen to pour herself some of the awful concoction that the boys had come up with this time. You thought back to the last party of theirs you attended, where they had mixed seven different brands of soda with entire handles of vodka and sour candies. The next morning, you were sure you had died, by the way your head had pounded against your skill.

Taking a tentative sip, you pursed your lips approvingly as you tasted the drink, noting the distinct bite of tequila against your tongue. Luckily, it wasn’t as sickeningly sweet as last time… but you still took another sip, and then another, paying no mind to the burning sensation that lingered at the top of your stomach as you swallowed. You doubted you’d ever get over that feeling, but the taste was good enough to pull you back in every time.

Before long, you had found your way to the dance floor, your hand in Hitch’s as the two of you danced on each other, probably making a fool out of the both of you. You attempted poorly (and failed) to grind on her, which caused her to laugh so hard that she tipped her plastic cup over, spilling some onto the floor. The two of you paid no mind as you kept dancing, but you were eventually interrupted with an arm grabbing yours.

You whipped your head up as you were drawn nearer to another body, and you breathed a sigh of relief once you realized it was Sasha. You reached to grab her face between your hands and pressed your foreheads together.

“You were awesome out there!” You said to her, your voice being drowned out by the loud _thumps_ of the music that you could feel reverberate through your body. She did the same to you, placing her hands on your face as well, and the two of you began dancing with one another giddily. You spun her around, and she did the same to you, the action throwing both of your balances off, and suddenly the ground was much closer to you than it had been before as you were knocked off of one of your feet.

Before you could feel the impact of the filthy carpeted floor against your back, you heard a grunt, and you felt yourself collide into another surface--this time, it was a body. 

You didn’t have the chance to look up as the person who you crashed into turned around to face you, the cup in their hands falling out of their grip and onto both of you.

Adding insult to injury, the additional collision knocked you backwards, and you landed on the ground on your ass, covered in the green liquid from the cup. You couldn’t bear to open your eyes, but an embarrassing snort escaped from you before you could stop it. 

“Are you serious right now?” Your eyes snapped open and upwards, towards the person you’d crashed into. 

Above you towered a tall brunette girl, with golden, sun-kissed skin that was washed out from the purple light inside of the room. You could just barely make out the makings of a grimace along her lips. You recognized her as being Ymir, somewhat of a notorious softball player. From what your friends on the team had mentioned of her, she was definitely not someone to go colliding into on a Friday night.

Even worse, you noted her attire--although her slightly baggy denim jeans remained pristine, her fitted short-sleeve T-shirt’s white fabric was now obscenely colored from the jungle juice. Before you knew it, you had gotten back onto your feet, ready to begin a series of slurred apologies, but you miscalculated the placement of your left foot, causing yourself to slide and lose your balance yet again on the puddle of alcohol that was inches away from your feet. 

Ignoring the eyes of the people on you, who had stopped dancing for a moment only to gawk at the scene taking place in front of them, you got up yet again and made your way towards her, though she had already turned and made a beeline towards the bathrooms.

“Hey--!” you began, weaving your way through bodies, slapping away some guy’s hand that tried to grab your ass. Once you’d gotten out of the thick of the dance floor, she had disappeared down the corridor. It took remarkable focus for you to remember exactly which door was for the bathroom, but once you remembered that it was the second to the left, you crept by, seeing the door wide open. 

She stood over the sink, one arm braced on the countertop, as she scrubbed violently at her shirt in her hands. You tried not to let your eyes wander lower than her neck as you acutely noticed her lack of her shirt--she only remained in a black sports bra and her baggy jeans.  
“I’m sorry.” you blurted out, and she snapped her head to face you.

“Did you follow me in here?” she asked, brows furrowing together as anger began to paint her face. You held your hands up defensively, not daring to move closer or farther away.

“You don’t have to be an asshole about it, I just wanted to say I was sorry,” you explained, and her face made no move to soften whatsoever. Now that she was under the harsh fluorescent light of the bathroom, you could see that the smooth, freckled planes of her cheeks were brushed in red--from anger, drunkenness, or embarrassment, you couldn’t tell.

“Does ‘sorry’ buy me a new fifty dollar shirt?” She scoffed back, tearing her eyes off of you as she focused on herself and her shirt in the mirror. You found your eyes drifting to her arms as she scrubbed, noting the flex of her biceps. _No wonder she was so good on the field._

“Fine, _excuse me_ for trying to help. I’ll fuck off,” you slurred, raising your eyebrows at her.

She didn’t bother looking back at you as she remarked, “You’re excused.” In a moment, she pushed herself off the sink and walked towards you, and you prepared to sprint away if she got any closer with that look on her face. You were stopped in your tracks, though, as she simply slammed the door shut in your face before she had even crossed the threshold.

You felt anger boiling inside of you, and, unable to control it, you made a middle finger towards the door, not caring about how childish you must look as you yelled “Asshole!” through the door, then turned around and returned to the party. 

Of course, there was no way you were gonna let some douchebag jock whose head was too big for her body ruin your night, so you wasted no time in grabbing another red solo cup full of the green liquid, washing away any of your previous anger. You skipped happily back to the people dancing, grabbing Sasha by the hands and continuing to dance.


	2. go for more, more, more

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> no real content warnings for this chapter!
> 
> this is basically the introduction you didnt get in chapter 1. enjoy pls.

Luckily, the next morning you were still in decent enough shape. The sun didn’t completely burn your eyes when you woke up, and you managed to drink an entire bottle of water, along with a few painkillers, without gagging. 

You heard a chuckle from the other side of your room at your ginger movements, and threw a playful grimace at Sasha as you got out of bed and checked your phone for any new notifications.

“I heard you had an eventful night…” she teased, and you raised an eyebrow at her. It couldn’t have been _that_ eventful if you still remembered everything… right? You took a moment to do a once-over of all the happenings of the previous night. You hadn’t slept with anyone, made out with any strangers, or started any arguments with innocent bystanders. To you, that meant the night was a success, all things considered.  
“You met Ymir!” she continued after sensing that you didn’t understand, and you let out a groan as you climbed into her bed, throwing yourself on top of her dramatically.

“Yes, I did. Don’t remind me.” you spat, your voice muffled by Sasha’s blanket. You felt your whole body shake as she laughed underneath you. “What? That girl is a certified douchebag. She acted like I killed her mother or something, when all I did was bump into her! I mean--”

“She’s honestly not all that bad once you get to know her,” Sasha pointed out, and you looked at her to see she was chewing on a granola bar. You didn’t dare to ask for a bite. “Yes, she is an asshole sometimes, but she’s cool. Funny, too.”

“Yeah, sure.” You rolled your eyes as you hopped off of her bed, going to your minifridge to pull out a carton of leftovers from a few nights ago. Not bothering to put it in the microwave, you twisted a forkful of spaghetti into your mouth. 

“I’m serious. Hold on, let me show you her Instagram--” Sasha got up in her bed, moving around the sheets. “Have you seen my phone?”

You shook your head no, and drowned out her ramblings about how _cool_ of a player this Ymir was, even though she had a bit of a temper, and preoccupied yourself with your cold pasta. 

“I think it’s lost forever.” Sasha resigned, sitting back down on her bed. “Whatever. Still, though. Sucks that that happened.”

You flashed her a look as you ate another forkful, savoring the taste as well as the grease coating your lips. Food always tasted better hungover. 

“More than sucks,” you said, the food in your mouth obscuring your words. Sasha laughed at the sight. “For real. If I have to see her at another--”

Three knocks on the door invaded your conversation. Immediately, Sasha and you locked eyes, deciding who would have the dreadful task of walking all the way over to the door to open it. 

“You get it, and continue what you were saying.” She said. When you shot her a look, she gestured to her body, “I’m basically naked. I can’t expose myself to the stranger at our door!” Partially untrue, considering Sasha had essentially no sense of modesty, but her outfit was not exactly one to showcase to the entire floor. Not that there was much to see--her preferred sleeping attire was underwear and some random shirt (though the shirt was very much optional, in her opinion).

With a groan, you placed down your fork and got up, walking towards the door as you finished your sentence. “If I have to see her at another softball game, I’m gonna puke.” You peeked through the peephole, but could barely make out a figure, so you shrugged, opening the door.

_Of fucking course._

In all her glory, there stood the infamous Ymir, her dark brown hair tied back into a ponytail as she stood at your door, looking rather out of place. 

“You.” You rolled your eyes. “What are you doing here?”

She smirked, and you managed to roll your eyes again, even further. When she wasn’t angry, it appeared that cocky was the next emotion on her default list.

“Surprised you even remember me, Jungle Juice. It seemed like you had drank a little too much for your own good, hm?” 

You narrowed your eyes at her, crossing your arms around your chest--partially to show your annoyance, and partially to cover yourself. Although you had on pajama pants, you were only wearing your bra--and an embarrassing one, at that. It had an abhorrent rainbow leopard print all over it, the colors faded from too many cycles in the washing machine. Thankfully, though, she didn’t seem to notice as she reached her hand into her pocket and pulled out a phone. You recognized the case instantly to be Sasha’s.

“I didn’t know you lived here.” She remarked, walking around you and into the dorm, where Sasha sat on the bed, occupying herself with the remnants of her granola bar. She looked up when Ymir stepped in, barking out a laugh as she swung her head back.

“Well, that’s definitely awkward!” she managed to get out, and you scowled intently at her, though she paid you no mind. Ymir didn’t say anything, only placed the phone next to Sasha.

“Found this in my duffel bag this morning. Hope you didn’t miss it too much.” 

Sasha stopped laughing only to grab her phone, beaming brightly. She reached in to grab Ymir’s shoulders, wrapping her in a hug which the other girl did not reciprocate. “Can’t breathe…” she muttered against Sasha’s chest.

“Thank you!” she exclaimed, releasing her grip on her and laying back on her bed. In an instant, Sasha had forgotten about the two of you as she scrolled through her phone, thumbs tapping onto the screen. 

Ymir walked over to the door without offering so much as a “you’re welcome” towards Sasha, and you barely had half the mind to follow behind her so you could lock the door as she left. Instead of turning to leave eventually, she stopped a foot away from you, leaning down a bit so her mouth was closer to your ear.

“Please try to hold your puke if you see me at another softball game, Jungle Juice.” she said, a smirk in her voice quite clear from the tone. You felt your face grow warm as you realize she’d heard the latter part of your conversation and just _assumed_ that you’d been talking about her. 

Instead of shooting something back--a witty remark or something else to prove she hadn’t had you flustered, you choked on your own words.

“I have a name, you know.” Your voice sounded meeker than you’d intended, and she turned around so that her back was facing you. She had already begun her walk down the hall when she stopped for a moment.

“Good. Those tend to come in handy.” 

No questions. No inquiry to know the name of one of her teammate’s best friend. 

_What a cocky bastard_ , you thought, then immediately reconsidered as you locked the door behind her, her long legs meaning that she had already disappeared out of the hallway. At least she wasn’t the terrifying brand of angry that she had been last night. A small blessing to count, you supposed. 

“Loooots of tension there....” drawled Sasha from her bed, making eye contact with you as she raised her eyebrows suggestively. You rolled your eyes and walked to lean on her bed as you fiddled with your fingers casually.

“Yeah. She wants to bash my face in, and I think she’s a self-absorbed son of a bitch. I guess that explains that _tension_ ,” you remarked with a smirk, shaking your head. “Anyways, whatever. Breakfast?”

Sasha shot out of the bed like a rocket, allowing her comforter to fall across her lower body. Her eyes glimmered as she shot you a grin, darting down and heading to the sink to brush her teeth.

“I’ll meet you down in the dining hall in 10.” 

\--

Your usual table at the dining hall was surely a sight to see that Saturday morning. Connie and Jean both wore dark sunglasses to protect their eyes as if they were some A-list celebrities. They both occupied themselves with large plates of sausage and potatoes, scarfing it down hungrily as if they’d never eaten before. 

Eren and Mikasa were nowhere to be seen, probably taking advantage of the extra time to sleep in, and you couldn’t blame them for that. Annie sat, her hair tied up, hickies peppering her neck, which Hitch was actively observing with tentative prods at her neck and clavicle. 

You placed your bowl of cereal down at the table in front of them to get their attention, and Jean and Connie both jumped. Hitch continued to fawn over Annie’s freshly decorated neck.

“Do you have to slam it down so _loudly_?” complained Connie, massaging his temples. Jean did the same, staying silent, and you murmured an apology punctuated by a giggle as you sat down next to the two guys and across from Hitch and Annie. 

“Fun night, Annie?” you laughed, raising an eyebrow and pointing to her neck with your spoon. She shot you a look, then flashed half of a smile.

“What can I say. People love softball players.” She held her hands up in a gesture of feigned innocence. You popped a spoonful of cereal into your mouth.

“Oh? Who’s _people_?” You asked.

“I’ll tell you who “people” is!” Came a voice from behind you, and you saw Annie sigh before you turned around to see Sasha balancing a tray of food on both of her hands as she slid into the seat next to Annie. She glanced at her neck one time before continuing. “It’s totally that Arlert kid. I saw the two of y’all sneak off last night…”

Annie’s face went red as she zipped up her hoodie, making you wonder why she hadn’t done so in the first place to avoid this fiasco.

“Armin? No way,” chimed in Jean, the first time he’d spoken since your arrival, and the general consensus among the table was a mirrored sense of surprise. Armin, Eren’s best friend since they were in diapers, had never seemed particularly… interested in women. Everyone in your friend group assumed that him and Eren were secretly hooking up, but…

“Yes, way. He’s super cool. Plus, he invited me to go on spring break with him.” She took a sip of her coffee. You waited to hear the rest of the story, unaware of any plans for the upcoming break being made. 

“Are you guys coming? It would be wild if you could make it--a spring break to remember.” Jean said giddily, turning to face both Sasha and you, apparently the only two people who hadn’t heard about this aforementioned plan. When your look betrayed your ignorance, Connie chipped in to explain.

“Eren has a friend of a friend who owns this beach house that he’s renting out for Spring break. Says he’ll rent it for super cheap, and there’s enough space for, like, 10 of us.” 

You thought over the idea in your mind. You had never gone on a proper spring break trip with your friends, and you could definitely use a change of scenery. 

“Wait, but if Armin invited Annie, is it, like, a couple’s thing?” Sasha asked from across you.

“No, not really, but you’re more than welcome to be my date.” Connie winked at Sasha, causing her to roll her eyes and take a sip of her juice in order to hide the blush that blossomed across her cheeks. You had to admit, although the two of them were endlessly annoying in the little games they played with one another, they were cute. Whether or not they ended up as friends or lovers relied on one of them getting the balls to actually say something, though.

“I’m gonna bring Mikasa, Armin’s bringing Annie, and Connie’ll bring Sasha if the two of them can actually be serious about the whole thing. But there’s still you and Hitch, and Eren’s bringing a few friends along.” Jean explained, and you breathed a sigh of relief. At least all of your friends would be there if you did go, though you assumed Hitch would room with Eren, since they were each others’ latest conquests--for however long that would last.

“Think about it, for real.” Connie insisted. “You’ve got a week. It would be a shame to go on vacation without the two biggest party animals out of all of us.”

You replied to Connie with a playful shove and a smile, promising yourself that you’d actually consider it. After all, if you didn’t have to pay, what could the harm possibly be?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> remember to leave a very detailed list of grievances against me if you hated it but otherwise positive comments and kudos are always appreciated haha.


	3. with a baseball bat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> hey y'all
> 
> this is a fun chapter :) the title makes me chuckle.
> 
> anyways a bit of a cw for blood but besides that enjoy

Chapter 3:

A week later, you sat in your dorm, legs swinging off of the edge of your bed as you and Hitch chatted casually about your plans for the upcoming month. February had just come to an end, and you could already feel the pollen in the air that would signal the onset of spring. 

“So--Eren’s beach thing. You’re going, right?” you asked as you painted a layer of clear polish atop your nails, blowing on them to dry. From Sasha’s bed, Hitch shook her head flippantly.

“No, probably not. I have this Bali trip I’ve been putting off, but I think I’m finally going to go this spring break,” she explained, as if it was the most normal occurrence in the world. You loved Hitch for everything she was--quick on her feet, bright, and dedicated--but it was sometimes hard to understand the fundamental differences between the two of you. She came from a family that uses the word “summer” as a verb, had multiple houses for their different moods, and only ate in their formal dining rooms. Her upbringing seemed to be worlds away from yours, and you struggled to bridge that gap.

“Oh…” you began, mentally going through the list of people Jean had said was coming. Hopefully, the rooming situation would work out for your benefit.

“You should still go, though! It’s your first college spring break, you should make the most of it,” insisted Hitch. You shrugged your shoulders in response, though you couldn’t help but agree with her. Having a whole house to yourselves, on a beach… it sounded like a dream. 

Your phone buzzed next to you, and you reached out to check it, careful not to ruin your still-wet nails. It was a message from Sasha.

**Sasha: i’m dying over here**

That caught your attention, and you rolled your eyes at Sasha’s dramatics. Last you heard, she was at practice with her team for their upcoming game. Maybe her coach had gotten pissed off and forced them to do drills.

**You: what’s up this time….?**

Immediately she was typing, the three bubbles appearing at the bottom of your screen. You could imagine her furiously writing down the words onto her keyboard as she hid her phone during her water break. 

**Sasha: coach left because she had some appointment, and wants us to keep practicing by ourselves for the next two hours**

You winced for Sasha’s sake. They had been there since 10 this morning, and it was already nearing 12:30.

**You: oh noooo**

**Sasha: it gets worse.**

**Sasha: I FORGOT MY LUNCH IN THE FRIDGE**

**Sasha: could you bring it for me… pretty please?**

**You: can’t you just get something else?**

**Sasha: i’ve been thinking about this pizza all day, (y/n). It’s what’s getting me through practice rn.**

**You: fine, text me the location and give me 15ish minutes. you owe me one.**

**Sasha: put it on my tab. pls and thanks :)**

You rolled your eyes as you put down your phone, going to the minifridge at the side of your dorm to look for Sasha’s lunch. At the front and center sat a container with leftovers from a pizza shop the two of you had visited yesterday, as well as some smuggled food from the dining hall. You laughed at your forgetful roommate as you put the containers in the microwave so her food would be hot. 

“What are you doing?” asked Hitch, though she made no move to get up from her comfortable spot, now resting her head on Sasha’s pillow.

“Sasha forgot to bring her lunch, and her coach extended practice so she’s, like, dying,” you laughed, and Hitch made a sound of agreement as you slipped on a pair of shorts and a top you had lying around. You grabbed the containers out of the microwave and placed them in a plastic bag which you tied with a knot before putting on a pair of slippers. “You staying or you wanna come with?”

“I’m good staying. But come back soon, otherwise I’ll die of boredom.” Hitch’s voice was deadpan, matching her expression.

“Don’t you have, like, a mountain of homework you should get started on?” you teased her. Hitch was majoring in education, and, though her workload wasn’t as rigorous as some of your other classmates, she still had a considerable amount to do.

Hitch threw her arm over her eyes in protest, shooing you away. “Leave my sight! When you come back, I don’t want a single other mention of homework, please.”

Your only reply was a smile, and you shut the door behind you as you began the walk to the field that they were undoubtedly practicing at. Now that you thought about it, you hadn’t seen either Mikasa or Annie in the past week or so, so it would be nice to see the two of them, as well. 

As you walked through campus, you noted the sun beating down on your exposed legs, and cursed yourself for not wearing sunscreen as you felt the beginning of sweat beads forming at your brow. Campus was loud and filled with activity this Saturday afternoon, with people sitting on benches and chatting to friends, or eating their lunches, or getting out of their Saturday lectures. You made a reminder to yourself to ask Hitch if she wanted to go off-campus to get some food, and take advantage of the gorgeous weather. 

As you neared the field that Sasha had sent you the location of, you got out your phone to call her. It wasn’t the normal softball field that they held their games at, and you were completely disoriented, direction-wise. You listened to the tone of the phone call ring on and on as you walked somewhat aimlessly, following the sound of voices that you figured must be the team’s.

You didn’t really want to impede on their practicing, because you knew how some of those girls could get about being interrupted, so you forced yourself to keep a 30-ish foot distance away from the sound of voices, looking down at your feet as the dial tone rang repetitively in your ear.

“Thanks for calling Sasha, sorry I couldn’t make it--” 

The sound of Sasha’s voicemail message was cut off by a loud “Shit!” coming from the direction of the voices, and you only had enough time to lift your head up as a bright green softball came flying towards your face, landing in the space between your nose and eyes. 

Pain radiated through every inch of your face as you felt liquid begin to run from your nose. Bending down out of sheer pain, you reached your hand up to your nose and saw that it was blood that had run from your nostrils. You could barely even focus on who had thrown or hit the ball to you as you ran your fingers along your nose to make sure it wasn’t broken, and blinked your right eye a few times to make sure you hadn’t been permanently blinded. That would have been a pitiful story to tell, anyways. 

Somebody--no, _two_ people were running towards you, and you heard the sound of voices quiet down.

“Ohmygod, are you okay?” panted one of them, and you drew your eyes up and towards Sasha, who stood with her eyes as big as saucers in disbelief and concern. You could just barely see out of your peripheral vision the second body, and you wanted to collapse onto the floor once you realized who it was.

“I’m perfect,” you muttered sarcastically, covering your nostrils with a finger to stop the blood, but it was no use--it came seeping over your skin. “Were you the one that threw the ball?”

“Well, sorta…” began Sasha. “I threw it, but… Ymir hit it. Towards, well, you.”  
You turned to the second girl as you stood up gingerly. You hadn’t met her eyes this whole time, but you could see now that she didn’t look one bit angry or cocky. Instead, her brows were drawn together in concern, but she stayed in place a foot or so away from you, as if she didn’t know exactly what to do.

“I’ll assume it was an accident, and not just you trying to enact your personal revenge on me for ruining your shirt,” you snapped, trying to hide your annoyance as the blood coming from your nose rushed through the gaps between your finger, slowly but surely coating your hand. “God, is my nose broken? This really hurts.”

That seemed to spur Ymir into action, as she took a long step towards you, placing a hand behind your neck. “Tilt forwards. Not back. It’s too much blood, you’re going to end up swallowing it.”

You didn’t have it in you to protest, so you just shot her a look that she narrowly missed as you tilted your head forwards. Although the blood ran through your fingers more abundantly now, you felt some relief of pressure in your sinuses. Still, the pain from the initial impact rang through your head, and you felt tears fall from your right eye.

You heard a voice yelling from the other side of the field, and closed your eyes as you heard another set of footsteps approaching you. 

“Sasha, back to practice. Ymir, you hit the ball, take care of this. I’ll see you tomorrow,” spoke a female voice, which you recognized to be the captain of the team. 

“I’m sorry, babes. I’ll see you back at the dorm. Let me just…” Sasha said, and your eyes opened wide enough to see her reach underneath you for her lunch, which you had accidentally discarded on the floor. She picked up the bag, unable to hide her grin despite the unfortunate situation. “Bye!”

In a matter of moments, you were alone with Ymir. She hesitated for another moment before speaking up. “You’re good to walk, right?”

“Well, you didn’t hit me in the leg, so I’m fine.” You shot back, and she didn’t return your sarcasm or the venom in your words.

“Okay, I’m sorry. Come on,” she began walking, her long strides placing her far in front of you, and you had to walk twice as fast just to keep up. Once she noticed, though, she made an effort to take a few slower steps, and you were silently grateful.

The two of you eventually approached a dorm building near yours, and she took out her I.D., scanning it on the way in before showing it to the front desk attendant. The two of you enjoyed a shared, tense elevator ride up to the third floor, where she unlocked one of the many doors lining the hall, flipping a light switch as the two of you walked in. 

You looked around the room, noting that it was rather large compared to yours, and, while all of the room had been decorated (albeit sparsely), the second bed occupying the left side of the room was empty, with no sheets atop it or containers beneath it. You determined that she had a double room to herself, for whatever reason. It was even more curious once you remembered that she was not a freshman like you--so what could possibly compel her to stay in the dorms for any longer than necessary? Most students her age would be aching for their own apartment by now. 

As she disappeared into the bathroom in her room, you took a seat on the unadorned bed, the feeling of the lumpy, uncomfortable mattress digging into your thighs as you shifted from side to side impatiently.

The blood at your nose had begun to dry, causing a disgusting layer of caked-on blood to form around your hand, but you were thankful that your nose was no longer actively bleeding. 

Ymir emerged from the bathroom with a dampened cloth and a small bag, and raised an eyebrow as she saw you before walking over to where you sat. Your legs hung over the side of the bed, and she hovered a few inches away from you, her head still towering over yours, even as you sat on the elevated mattress.

She didn’t bother to ask as she picked up one of your arms, wiping the blood off it, and the cool sensation of water on your hot skin made you sigh gratefully. She chuckled at this as she finished her actions, flicking her eyes from your wrist to your eyes as she held the cloth tentatively.

This time, she asked for permission. “Do you mind?”

You shook your head no, and she gently swiped the soft cloth against your nose, and you forced yourself not to think about how egregious you must look right now, with dried blood everywhere, tears falling from one of your eyes from the impact, and a bruised eye. 

“This wasn’t payback, was it?” You asked, finally able to concentrate on something besides blinding pain as the sensation dulled into a heavy throb. Her only answer was a hum and a smirk as she tilted your chin upwards, towards her, and continued to clean your face. “It was a plot to get me alone in your dorm.”

At this, she laughed. It was no delicate sound, more like a cackle that made your cheeks heat in embarrassment, although you were the one who had made the scandalous insinuation. 

“Do you actually believe that, or is that just wishful thinking?” Her voice was wholly playful, teasing even, and she moved away from you, placing the washcloth on your side and pulling out the small bag. She fished in it for a second, then grabbed what looked to be an alcohol swab. You realized that you haven't answered her question, but resolved not to, anyways. Your statement had been purely inflammatory, trying to get a rise out of her to replace the awkward gentleness that she had been handling you with.  
“This is going to sting.” She firmly pressed the alcohol-soaked swab against your cheek, and you hissed a curse under your breath, causing her to huff a quiet chuckle. You froze in place at the feeling of her breath against your skin. The pain was over as quickly as it had started, and she folded the swab and tossed it into a nearby trash can, handing you two small white tablets. You made no move to take them from her hands, instead opting to cross your arms over your chest.

“I’m not supposed to take drugs from strangers,” you protested.

Her response was quick. “I’m not a stranger.”

“You don’t even know my name.”

“You make a fair point.” She laughed dryly, raising her eyebrows, and she inched closer to you a bit, voice softening as she asked, “What’s your name?”

You felt like a deer caught in headlights, your eyes widening as you froze in shock at the proximity of her face to yours. Ymir knew exactly what she was doing and, although it annoyed you, it was intoxicating. You wanted to drink up the attention. You choked out your answer, telling her your name, causing her to pull back a bit.

She pretended to be deep in thought as she played around with the feeling of your name in her mouth, saying it a few times, each time separating it by syllables and dragging it out. You watched as the tongue hit the roof of her mouth as she pronounced each individual letter. Eventually, she stopped, saying your name once more, in one piece, and smirking. “Now we’re not strangers. So would you like to take these over-the-counter painkillers so that you don’t hate me from the pain?”

“Too late.”

“Ouch, that stings,” she teased you, but before she could step away, you took the pills from the palm of her hand. The skin there was firm, calloused from years of sports, yet still warm against your cold fingertips. “I deserve it, I guess. I’ll come up with a way to apologize.”

She tossed you a plastic water bottle from a case of them beneath her own bed, and you cracked the seal before gulping down over half the bottle, not realizing how thirsty the walk to and from the field had made you. You popped the two pills in your mouth and swallowed them with an extra swish of water. 

“Don’t bother. I made you spill toxic sludge onto your fifty-dollar shirt, and you gave me blunt force trauma to the face. I’d say we’re about even.” You scooted back on the bed to rest your head against the cold brick wall, finding it comforting in comparison to the incessant pounding that wreaked havoc in your skull.

Ymir ignored your remark, but you noticed her jaw clench as she sucked the side of one of her cheeks in. You weren’t sure, but the expression on her face… it almost seemed like… guilt?  
“You don’t look too good,” she spoke through the silence. She hadn’t sat on her bed--instead, she leaned her back against it, devoting her gaze towards you.

“Thanks.”

“No, I mean it. You’re barely keeping your eyes open.” Ymir persisted. Now that you looked at her expression more, you were sure of it--she was _guilty_. Even as you marveled at this revelation, you knew she had a point. The pain radiating from your cheek outwards to the rest of your head was so overwhelming that even opening your eyes, especially the bruised one, felt Herculean. You didn’t say anything, just closed your eyes softly, as your breath grew slow and steady. 

“I want to sleep,” you murmured, not wanting to open your eyes to see Ymir’s reaction.

“I’ll walk you back to your dorm.” Her voice was closer in proximity than it was before. When seconds passed with no movement, you heard some rustling and clatter before feeling an arm tug at your legs, dragging them closer towards the edge of the bed. Ymir’s arm slipped underneath your knees, her other one wrapping around your shoulders as you felt yourself being lifted off of the mattress, carried a short distance over, and placed onto another bed. This time, the surface was softer, and you felt a blanket be placed over your body.

The last thing you could remember before falling asleep was inhaling the smell of Ymir from the bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y'all should follow me on tiktok @thephoebebridgersexperience
> 
> i don't post about this fic a whole bunch there but maybe i should idk
> 
> also leave a comment or kudos or whatever u want. hate comments greatly appreciated ofc

**Author's Note:**

> leave kudos and a comment if u liked it :)
> 
> if u hate it please leave me a very detailed hate comment i would appreciate that a lot


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